It香蕉视频直播檚 fitting that Kecia Lewis has had her most successful theater season while playing a mentor.
The Broadway veteran 香蕉视频直播� now celebrating 40 years in the business 香蕉视频直播� portrays the formidable piano teacher Miss Liza Jane in 香蕉视频直播淗ell香蕉视频直播檚 Kitchen香蕉视频直播� who inspires the show香蕉视频直播檚 young heroine to embrace music.
香蕉视频直播淪it. Learn,香蕉视频直播� she says to her new teenage pupil, a role loosely based on Alicia Keys. The youngster looks at the older one at the piano and says: 香蕉视频直播淚 see in her, for the first time in my life, I think, what I might someday be: powerful. Regal. A queen.香蕉视频直播�
Lewis is like that cool, no-nonsense wise head who radiates skill, warmth and professionalism, helping rising star Maleah Joi Moon make her Broadway debut in the main role.
香蕉视频直播淪he香蕉视频直播檚 an earthy and royal woman and she brings a sense of powerful groundedness to every room she walks in,香蕉视频直播� Moon says. 香蕉视频直播淚 knew from our first conversation that I wanted to learn as much as I could from her.香蕉视频直播�
Lewis is having a special spring. Her musical has garnered 13 Tony Award nominations and she has earned her first Tony nod. She has already won awards from the Outer Critics and Lucille Lortel.
香蕉视频直播淭his is all I香蕉视频直播檝e ever wanted to do since I was a child. This is the only thing that I香蕉视频直播檓 truly trained in,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檇 be faking it in any other profession. I love what I do. It doesn香蕉视频直播檛 feel like work to me.香蕉视频直播�
Lewis made her Broadway debut at 18 in the original company of 香蕉视频直播淒reamgirls香蕉视频直播� in the mid-1980s and went on to 香蕉视频直播淭he Gospel at Colonus香蕉视频直播� with Morgan Freeman, 香蕉视频直播淏ig River,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淎in香蕉视频直播檛 Misbehavin香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈 and 香蕉视频直播淥nce on This Island.香蕉视频直播�
The world of the theater almost lost her. She left 香蕉视频直播淥nce on This Island香蕉视频直播� early to do a TV pilot that didn香蕉视频直播檛 pan out and was heartbroken. For six years, she taught fifth and sixth grades, worked at a magazine and at a shelter for young women who were pregnant and homeless.
Her love of performing gnawed at her until she decided to return to auditions in 1991. She knew she was rusty, so she auditioned for things she knew she香蕉视频直播檇 never book, like a role in 香蕉视频直播淭he Sound of Music香蕉视频直播� at the Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera.
香蕉视频直播淚 thought, no one will ever cast me in 香蕉视频直播楾he Sound of Music.香蕉视频直播� And I got it. I was cast as the Mother Abbess. And that got me started,香蕉视频直播� she says.
The Ventura County Star critic was impressed: 香蕉视频直播淎s the Mother Abbess, Lewis blows open the lobby doors with her 香蕉视频直播楥limb Every Mountain.香蕉视频直播� Intermission comes just in time: Her booming finish to the song would be a hard act to follow.香蕉视频直播�
That role led to a string of Rodgers and Hammerstein shows 香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淪outh Pacific香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淭he King and I香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播� and interesting parts. 香蕉视频直播淎nd then I was clear, 香蕉视频直播極K, you were supposed to go back,香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈 she says.
Since her returns, Lewis香蕉视频直播� roles have included Broadway 香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淭he Drowsy Chaperone,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淐hicago,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淟eap of Faith,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淐inderella香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淐hildren of a Lesser God香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播� and off-Broadway in 香蕉视频直播淢other Courage,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淭he Skin of Our Teeth香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淢arie and Rosetta.香蕉视频直播� Her TV parts include 香蕉视频直播淭he Blacklist,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淢adam Secretary,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淩oyal Pains香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淏lue Bloods.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淚 feel like I have a whole encyclopedia I could write about 40 years in this business,香蕉视频直播� she says.
Michael Greif, the director of 香蕉视频直播淗ell香蕉视频直播檚 Kitchen,香蕉视频直播� knew Lewis from their days working on 香蕉视频直播淏ig River香蕉视频直播� and thought she香蕉视频直播檇 be perfect for Miss Liza Jane.
香蕉视频直播淜ecia is a great teacher on and offstage,香蕉视频直播� Greif says. 香蕉视频直播淪he brings her considerable experience, wisdom and generosity to every encounter with Maleah and to our incredible ensemble, many of whom are making their Broadway debuts.香蕉视频直播�
Lewis initially read the script not knowing that Keys香蕉视频直播� songs would be used or that the teen at its center shared connections to the Grammy winner.
The show is set in Manhattan Plaza, an apartment complex in the Hell香蕉视频直播檚 Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan where Keys grew up and which offers affordable housing for people in the arts. It has a multipurpose space with a piano 香蕉视频直播� the Ellington Room 香蕉视频直播� where, in the musical, the heroine discovers Miss Liza Jane, an amalgamation of Keys香蕉视频直播� mentors.
Lewis knows both the complex and the room well. She went to high school nearby, and one of her closest friends lived in Manhattan Plaza. She even sang at a memorial for her friend香蕉视频直播檚 dad in the Ellington Room.
Keys personally worked with Lewis on her two big songs 香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淧erfect Way to Die香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淎uthor of Forever,香蕉视频直播� both already released 香蕉视频直播� and the team paid for piano lessons so she could look the part.
On a deeper level, Lewis also connected to the musical香蕉视频直播檚 coming-of-age story of a young woman with a single mom negotiating the tough streets of New York.
香蕉视频直播淚 was a single parent of a son. My son is 20 now and in New York. So I understood on a very personal level a lot of what was being said and what was trying to be conveyed. She allowed me to bring all of that along with what she gave me and just let me fly on my own.香蕉视频直播�
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Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
